Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Sir?"
"Watch the camera."
"I thought the feed was down in that sector?"
"Only because she wanted it to be."
"But the collar, the runes are suposed to block magic?"
"She has friends, I'm willing to bet they made arangements."
"What's she doing?"

He knew, and Jor would know soon enough.  Jeanine sat in her cell tracing a pattern on the floor, and the door, and the lights.  Jor kept questioning him about the goings on, but Hamaf remained silent as he watched his daughter at work.  He could make out the patterns, but she was setting alchemy.  Finally she sat down on the bed.  With her left hand she drew upon the back of her right, and traced up her arm to the collar on her neck. 
"Captain?  What if she gets it off?"
"Order the men to stay clear, let the garrison handle this."
"Sir?"
"Jor, just watch."
"But shouldn't we?"
"All part of the plan."
"I feel like I should have been informed of this plan sir."

A stream of flame shot up Jeanine's arm as she activated the pattern.  The collar flew off as the skin on the side of her neck exploded.  She managed to put her hand over the wound as she hit the ground. 
"Sound the alarm!  Sir? She's just killed herself!  Was this part of the.."
"Shut up and watch, this is when it gets interesting."
"Sir!  Your daughter just blasted a chunk of her neck off, I fail to see what's interesting about this."
"That's because you don't know her like I do.  She's fully aware of all of this, look at the ground closely."

Jor glanced, his eyes widened as he noticed the hand not over the wound on her neck was placed square in the middle of the activation pattern to the alchemy that laced her room.  They watched the guards charge into the room, spurred on by the alarm Jor had just set off.  She was still calling out in pain as the guards began looking for whoever had attacked her.  A small glow came from each of her palms, from her left emitted a charm that mended her flesh, and with her right she blasted the entire troop of guards into the air.  All were dead by the time she stood back up.  She picked up one of their knives, a sword, a loaded crosbow with several magazines, and drew the stakes from the ceiling.  As the curtain and streamers about her room collapsed on the cooling bodies she turned to the sureveilance camera and saluted them mockingly. 

"Sir, I think I need to know about this plan of yours."